Mameem & Maudie: It’s a Family Affair

We had heard friends mention a great sandwich shop on Lady’s Island for the past few years. And a recent visit by Cele’s mother—a tough dining critic—provided the perfect excuse to make a mother-daughter lunch at Mameem & Maudie happen. And we sure are glad it did. Because now we’ve found a new staple for lunch (or breakfast, or cup of coffee, or an afternoon pick-me-up) and a charming new retail shop (who knew?).

Located on Sea Island Parkway across from the entrance to Beaufort High School in the strip center where Groucho’s Deli used to be, Mameem & Maudie (pronounced like ma’am-ēēm) is a family affair that originally started in Bluffton ten years ago but moved to Beaufort in 2020. Thankfully for us.

Owned and operated by twin sisters, Sherry Johnston and Leslye Tapp, their husbands, Chris and Billy, and Sherry and

Chris’s daughter, Morgan, the restaurant is part café and part retail shop, with plenty of indoor and alfresco dining between the two. Sherry and Leslye grew up between Ridgeland and Hilton Head Island in the 1960s and 70s. Their father was a sailor, and he would often bring his boat (and his kids) to Beaufort, docking at Beaufort Yacht & Sailing Club. So, the area was familiar to them.

Time passed and Sherry and Chris found themselves in Atlanta owning a dental management business and raising their

family of three kids. Leslye and Billy were in Columbia, South Carolina working for competing department stores and raising their family of three.

Fast forward to the mid-2010s, and everyone was in a transitionary period. Sherry and Chris had sold their dental management business; Morgan had graduated from college and was looking for her next chapter; and Leslye and Billy had left their retail positions and were looking for a new opportunity. Being familiar with the Bluffton area and with some family background in retail, the quintet decided to open a cute and quirky shop in Old Town Bluffton that carried a bit of everything from women’s clothing to jewelry, gift items, accessories, and children’s clothing and gifts.

The unique name is an homage to Sherry and Leslye’s great-grandmother and great-aunt, who left fond memories and a lasting impression on the girls. Their goal was to create a shop where anyone would feel welcome and the eclectic merchandise mix and customer service would leave a lasting impression. Just like Mameem and Maudie’s legacy.

Business in Old Town Bluffton was booming as the historic district was expanding. The family wanted to expand their concept by adding a café, but the regulations of Old Town Bluffton forbid any café to open on the side streets. Instead, they added a walk-up ice cream window and served ice cream cones, milkshakes, and shaved ice.

Around the same time, an opportunity presented itself in Savannah and the family opened another retail store and ice cream shop, which expanded into sandwiches, soups, and salads the following year. Although that concept didn’t last long due to its location, it satisfied the family’s café bug and provided them with the experience they were craving. And as often happens, when one door closes, another opens.

When they decided to close the Savannah location in 2019, they learned that Groucho’s deli in Beaufort had closed, and that the space was available. Kismet. The kitchen infrastructure was in place so with a little cleaning, painting, and refurbishment, Mameem & Maudie opened in January of 2020 as a café serving breakfast and lunch.

Although COVID was lurking around the corner, the new café was uniquely positioned to ride out that storm with grab and go soups, sandwiches, and salads, along with a robust curbside pick-up scenario. Naturally, it wasn’t ideal, but it did give the shop a chance to get the kinks out of the new location and plan for the non-COVID future. They even started writing inspirational notes and uplifting scripture on the takeout bags to help brighten everyone’s day, which they still do today.

They weathered the storm quite successfully in Beaufort. The Bluffton location wasn’t quite as successful, however, and they closed in 2021, moving the retail operation to the Beaufort location.

Today, they have expanded into three-quarters of the building, with one side being the convivial café (details to come), along with an eclectic selection of T-shirts, hats, bags, notecards, and sauces; the middle section providing plenty of indoor seating; and the third section housing the unique merchandise mix of women’s clothing and shoes, jewelry, home décor, gift items, bath and body products, books, readers, and kids clothing and toys. There is also a wonderful selection of local artwork—much of it with a coastal vibe—throughout the entire store. There’s even an outdoor patio, with plenty of tables and chairs to have a cup of coffee, enjoy your meal, take a meeting, or simply relish the weather.

Now that all the dust has settled, the family dynamic is stronger than ever. Leslye manages the retail buying and the

books; Chris handles HR and customer service; Sherry pursues product development and helps prepare food; and Morgan is the manager and runs the day-to-day operations of the café and shop. Even Uncle Trey (Leslye and Sherry’s brother) is now part of the operation, with his screen-printing business making all the T-shirts, bags, note cards, coffee cups, and more.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the café (see what we did there?). M&M features Grind Coffee Roasters out of Bluffton for their varied coffee and espresso beverages. They also offer smoothies and juices, as well as croissants, bagels, and breads from various gourmet artisan bakers, along with house made muffins, sticky buns, and cinnamon rolls. For heartier morning appetites, choose from a wide selection of breakfast bagels (the bacon, egg, and cheese is the most popular, natch); biscuits (don’t miss the biscuit and southern sausage gravy); breakfast entrees like yogurt parfait with a muffin, power bowls, granola bowls, and avocado toast; and even breakfast bubble waffles, which are custard batter waffles served with butter and house made brown sugar syrup (pecans are optional).

Lunch offers a cornucopia of creative sandwiches—all with nautical names as an homage to their seafaring father and grandfather—served on toasted sourdough or multigrain with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a pickle on the side. According to Morgan, fan favorites include The All-American (grilled turkey, ham, roast beef, bacon, and muenster with a side of ranch) and The Stowaway (chicken salad, Swiss, and bacon). For us, we also like The Helmsman (roast beef, provolone, and horseradish) and The Jib (turkey, coleslaw, muenster, 1000 island dressing on grilled rye).

But don’t overlook their soups and salads. The Chicken & Orzo with dried cranberries, feta, pine nuts, and basil is to die for, and The Blackberry is loaded with, well, blackberries, goat cheese and almonds. You can even turn any sandwich into a salad. The tomato basil soup is a crowd favorite, as is the rotating soup of the day. Other sides to choose from include caprese couscous, coleslaw, peppermento cheese (think pimento cheese with pepper jack), and chips. M&M will even cater for a variety of events.

Be sure to leave room for dessert, where Mameem & Maudie really shines. Whether it’s the oversized scratch made

cookies; ice cream in all kinds of flavors, cones, and toppings; more than a dozen flavors of milkshakes (don’t get us started on the salted caramel!); shaved ice (available in 36 flavors including all the standards, plus crazy options like cake batter, dill pickle, white chocolate, and tigers blood); and specialty bubble waffles in to-die-for flavors like Nutella Delight, Oreo Blast, and Pecan Explosion. Starting soon, they plan to offer whole cakes and pies for special orders.

If you haven’t been to Mameem and Maudie, plan to make an outing of it. Stop in for a late breakfast, do a little shopping, and enjoy a cup of coffee on the patio. Then stick around for lunch and dessert. That’s what we call one-stop shopping!

 

 

 

Mameem & Maudie

81 Sea Island Parkway

Beaufort, SC 29907

843-605-6990

www.mameeandmaudie.com

Monday-Saturday 8:00am-4:00pm

 

 

Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world and Lowcountry Weekly lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This includes articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. They welcome suggestions for topics, as well as recommendations for their upcoming book, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die (coming this fall).